Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dali: Mind of A Genius - The Exhibition

One of the best museum trips I had been to, but I did not post on my blog, because I was in a hiatus that time.


It's Dali: Mind of A Genius - The Exhibition at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.


I guess most people know Salvador Dali, an eccentric and paranoid genius. When I knew about this exhibition, I was eager to visit it and was glad that photography was allowed.




Dali created the image of an elephant carrying an obelisk, a symbol of technological progress in the modern world. The almost invisible spindle-like legs emphasizes the contrast between robustness and fragility, weight and lightness.

The melted clock is the most well-known and beloved of Dali's images. He chose to portray this image consistently throughout his lifetime. These liquefying soft clocks symbolize fleeting time.


Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist works including film, sculpture, and photography.

"Two of Dali's obsessions: fire and a female figure with drawers. The flames seem to have a life of their own and represent the concealed intensity of unconscious desire, while the drawers represent the unknown of hidden secrets. The crutch is another symbol frequently used in Dali's work. He also calls it the 'symbol of death' and the symbol of resurrection'. It represents a blend of authority, stability and sexual power."


Dali's method aimed to translate into art what the unconscious tried to express. In other words, it was an exploration of the symbolism of pure fantasy and dreams while remaining awake.


Not only was Dali modifying objects such as gold coins into figures or lips into a sofa, he was also modifying the world around him.


Many of Dali's most important works were the result of the wild images that came to him in dreams.


The combination of 'love and death' is central and expresses the message in Latin: memento mori (remember you must die). Dali illustrates the idea of sufferance and self-punishment linked to the mental processes of the erotic masochistic practice.


Great themes of literature illustrated by Dali over his life were exhibited as well.


Alice in wonderland, 1969, engravings.


Romeo and Juliet, 1975, lithographs.


Tricorne, 1959, color plates engraved on wood.


The art of love, 1979, etching, lithograph and woodcuts.


The universal tarot, 1970, collage, gouache and watercolor on board.


After 50 years of surrealism, etchings, hand-colored.


Twelve tribes of Israel, 1972, etchings and stencil colour.


The Bible, lithographs from original gouaches.


Cassandra's loves, 1968, original engravings.


That's all, I hope anyone who is reading my blog find what you need here. For me, just by looking at these images gave me lots of inspiration. Bye!



1 comment:

Jerine said...

I love Dali of all the famous artists during his time. And I think he's probably the only artist that got famous while he's still alive.